


Nohrian Light

by TheTuckingFypo



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Character Death, Concubine wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 00:42:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14032386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTuckingFypo/pseuds/TheTuckingFypo
Summary: It was on this day, that Xander's life changed forever.





	Nohrian Light

Xander sat outside one of the many rooms that made up Castle Krakenburg, waiting anxiously. He waited, watching the hustle and bustle of the many maids that scurried in and out of that room, with only his thoughts to entertain him.

“It’s been almost a year since father has changed.”

Xander could remember down to the day that his father, the king, once a warm, loving family man, became cold as the barren wastelands that made up his kingdom of Nohr. He wondered why a man he held in such high regards could change so suddenly. It was as if a part of him died, and a cold, war loving ruler replaced him, but not the husk which he called ‘Father’.

A scream brought Xander back to his senses.

He dismissed the thought. Father was not dead, only unwell. Xander knew within his heart, that someday he would get better. He quietly cursed under his breath for temporarily believing something that could only happen in stories.

Another scream.

Xander, as Crown Prince of Nohr, took it upon himself to care for his siblings in his father’s place, even postponing his inheritance of the legendary Siegfried, in hopes that his father would get better faster. However, his efforts had yet to bare any fruit.

While he started out with siblings left, right and center, the Concubine Wars left him with only a few to look over now;

He thought of his younger sister Camilla, one of the first children to be born into the conflict of the war, and one of the deadliest to boot. He had heard rumors that she was responsible for many of their sibling’s deaths, as well as other concubines. He remembered the time she had targeted him. Xander shivered at the memory of her child-sized axe being no more than an inch away from his throat.

“Do you have any last words, Crown Prince?” she said, her axe firmly gripped between her hands.

“Camilla…” Xander began, trying to hide the all the fear he had in that moment the best he could, “It… -It doesn’t have to be this way…”

“Yes, it does! For me to have my mother’s love, it does.” She snapped, her voice quivering, “You wouldn’t understand, so don’t make this any harder for me.”

Silence. Suddenly, Xander wasn’t afraid any more.

“Do what you must. But my only wish now going forward, is that you remember me when I’m gone, not as another life taken, but as your brother.”

The room went quiet as he closed his eyes and awaited his death. However, as more time went by, his curiosity got the best of him, and he slowly popped open an eye to find his younger sister, and to be killer, still standing over him, more hesitant than before.

“I’m ready to go, sister Camilla,” he said, bringing her axe back to his throat, even closer than she had it before, “Just do it as yourself. That’s all I ask.”

She could’ve easily taken his life that day if she’d wanted to, but somehow, he managed to talk her out of it. Instead, she dropped to the floor and began to sob. Xander, not knowing what else to do, wrapped his arms around her and consoled her the best he could.

“It’s okay, Camilla. I’m here for you. Everything will be all right.”

It was at that moment that Camilla began to open up to him. Court life had not been kind to her, either. Only after they had begun to bond, did he realize that a handful of those deaths she dealt were in self-defense. This saddened Xander, as it confirmed what he already knew about the nature of the Concubine War. She also showed him many of the scars she wore from these attacks, but the one that he felt stung the most were the ones she got from her own mother. He questioned her as to why she hurt her, but Camilla waived it off as nothing.

Once she calmed down, Xander offered to form a pact with her, which she happily agreed to.

The only thing about the pact that made him shiver was that only a day after they made it, Camilla’s mother was found brutally murdered in her room. Of course, her death was written off by King Garon as soon as he arrived, as it was deemed to be untraceable. But to Xander, who had accompanied him to the scene out of curiosity and concern for Camilla, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who did it. He didn’t say anything to her, instead giving her a look of reassurance. _“Your secret’s safe with me.”_

Xander figured that what she’d lost in a mother would never measure up to what she gained in a brother that day.

Leo, the only brother he had left, and a very lucky one at that. Lucky to be alive, that is. When it came to his involvement in the Concubine Wars, he wasn’t as lucky. While he didn’t have to go out of his way to kill his siblings and their mother like Camilla had, he found himself to be a prime target. It was no wonder why he was a target; he was almost all the concubine’s biggest threat. His mother had a very high position in the court as Nohr’s head tactician, even before Leo’s birth. And with Leo’s upbringing and prodigious abilities, he was well on his way to surpassing Xander himself, if he hadn’t surpassed him already. Never in Xander’s life had he heard of so many failed murder attempts on a toddler.

There was one time, he didn’t come out completely unscathed. Xander didn’t know what led up to it, but he remembered bursting into the library with Camilla to find another one of their siblings attacking him. He watched her as he stood there, frozen in terror, ripping their other sibling away from Leo and killing him with a dagger she held onto for her own safety. Once she knew he was dead, she merely kicked his bloody corpse to the side, and rushed to Leo, “Oh darling, are you all right?”

Xander watched them interact as Leo sat there, tears still rolling off his cheeks and still in shock from the event. He still had enough rationality to spit out a remark, “I was nearly killed, and you ask if I’m okay?-“

Xander smiled at the remark, as it made Camilla’s face sour slightly.

“-What are you, stupi-argh!”

Leo grabbed his right hand to suppress the pain. Blood oozed out from him, “It, it won’t stop!” he panicked.

“Xander, we need to find a healer. Now.” She demanded, picking up the small boy, “Lead the way.”

“My tome!”

“Don’t worry, Xander replied, picking up the tome off the nearby table, “I’ve got it for you.”

“No! Not that one, that one!” Leo snarked, trying to point at the one he wanted without bleeding any more than he was.

Xander quickly snatched the blood-ridden tome of the floor as they rushed to find help.

Fortunately, they found one quickly. When all was said and done, the healer came to tell them that Leo was extremely lucky to be alive. Camilla rushed right past her to see how he was doing. Xander apologized for Camilla’s behavior before joining them himself.

“I know I’m stupid for asking again, but are you okay now?”

Leo retorted, although much faster than last time, “At least you admit to your own faults… But yes, I’m okay now.”

“Say, Leo,” Xander started, “We know life in court is fairly difficult, so I was wondering if you would like to join our little family. You, me, and Camilla.”

“Camilla, you and I,” Leo corrected.

Xander felt a slight sense of irritation and shame for being corrected by a boy no older than four years of age. Regardless, he continued, “Yes, Camilla, you and I… If you join our family, we will do our best to make sure you stay safe.”

“Can you be sure of it?” Leo argued, “What if you two are actually trying to kill me. If that’s the case, then no, I don’t want to be baited into my own demise because I was a gullible fool.”

Both Xander and Camilla paused to give each other confusing looks. Where was this boy getting his vocabulary from?

“We would like to be happy, and we want you to be happy with us.” Camilla chimed in, breaking the silence, “If we wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be here now, sweetie.”

After a few seconds of deliberation on Leo’s part, he answered, “Ok. I’ll join you-”

“Leo!”

The moment was ruined. The doors swung open, revealing his mother running towards them.

“Leo! What are you doing in here?” she asked.

“I’m… fine.” Leo murmured.

“Don’t lie to me, you bastard!” she yelled, slapping him in the face.

Xander instinctively covered Camilla's eyes as Leo's mother continued on, “I brought you into this world, and I can easily take you out.”

“But you won’t, mother,” Leo argued, all too calmly for the four year old he was, “I’m too valuable an asset to you to lose.”

“Not if you continue what you’re doing, you won’t. You’re not to spend a moment longer in here with these animals,” she barked, her eyes meeting with Camilla’s.

Xander wanted to speak up, but his cowardice held him back.

She yanked Leo out of the bed and began to drag him away, only stopping briefly to deliver some parting words to them, “Don’t you ever so think to even try going near him, or else.”

Leo looked back at them with a gloomy face as he was whisked away; one that Xander would never forget.

Corrin, the sister he never knew he had until recently, hidden away from the world and the wrath of the concubines. However, her guarantee to live came at the cost of her freedom. His father had told him that she had poor health, and that he had put her in a place known as the Northern Fortress so she could recover without interruption. Xander had yet to meet her, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to meet her until he inherited Siegfried. He felt guilty for postponing it for his own selfish reasons, as it meant that he was depriving her of her family.

Maybe it was time to inherit Siegfried after all… Maybe.

Another scream bellowed through the halls of Castle Krakenburg. Xander would’ve tuned it out by now, had the scream not curdled or for the wailing that came after.

“KING GARON, MY LIEGE!”

That was his cue. He may not be his father, but for now, he would have to do.

Xander managed to push the door ajar and began to make his way through to the source of the screaming. As he trekked over, he overheard the maids whispering amongst themselves about him and why he was there, instead of his father. He wanted to say something, but he knew that he didn’t have Camilla’s strength to endure or handle any situation thrown his way, or Leo’s intellect to make witty remarks. So in his cowardice, he remained silent, reassuring himself it was better off that way.

As he neared his destination, he saw a small, frail, blonde woman awaiting him. Or, well, his father.

“What? You’re not MY King Garon!” the sickly woman snapped, “Where is he, and why isn’t he here?”

“I know, but Father’s-” Xander tried to explain.

“Do you think I care, you little brat!” she yelled, pausing only to accommodate a coughing fit, “You may be the oldest, but you’re the most useless.”

Xander had enough, and without warning, he snapped with power he didn’t know he had. Part of him wondered if he’d acted on impulse, or maybe, he too, was becoming stronger. Maybe he could get used to this.

“Enough!” he boomed, effectively catching everyone present off guard, “You know my father is a busy man. Running the country is a very tedious job. I don’t have time to hear your woes and pleas, so I don’t think Father would either. As Crown Prince of Nohr, I expect you show me some respect and show me what I came to see!”

The woman merely rolled her eyes in temporary defeat, and pointed at an old box next to her bed, “It’s over here. Now take it and get out of my sight!”

Xander slowly crept around the bed and over to the box so not to irritate the women further. To his surprise, he found an infant swaddled in a used towel seeped in blood. The sight of seeing his newborn sibling’s first moments in such manner made him sick.

“Is this a joke?” he barked at the woman as he picked up the child in his arms, “What is the meaning of this?! Is this how you treat royalty?!”

“I’ll have you know, I’ve served under the Royal Family for nearly my entire life!” she argued, almost as if she were trying to show off.

This woman was starting to give Xander a headache. No wonder why his father sent him instead.

“Does it at least have a name?!” he asked, attempting to not scowl and be civil with the woman.

“That’s not… my problem!” she wheezed.

“How could you not name your child!” he yelled back, with any hopes of not forming a furrowed brow before adulthood was thrown out the window.

“It’s not like I wanted this kid, anyways!” she screamed.

That was the last thing she ever said to Xander. Her coughing fit returned, more brutal than before. She held her chest in between wheezes in attempt to gasp for the air she was desperately in need of. Tears rolled down her face from the force of her fit and the realization that as she was starting to cough up blood. The more she coughed, the more blood came up. Her coughs eventually died down as her body became weak to the point that she couldn’t sit up. The blood, however, continued to flow at full force, spilling out of her mouth and her nose as she breathed. Xander could hear a bubbling noise emanating from her, knowing all too well what it was.

Xander suddenly turned towards the door to leave with her child still in his arms, but stopped, as he had one last thing to tell her.

“Call for my Father all you’d like, he isn’t coming. He has more important things to attend to than a dying common whore like you.”

As he scurried off, he could hear her voice from outside weakly croak his Father’s name once, and halfway through a second time before she fell silent.

He didn’t know why he ran. But he did. Whatever the reason, be it his cowardice, his ignorance, or on instinct, he would never know. He didn’t want to know. What mattered was that his new sibling was safe.

Making sure her closed the door behind him, he allowed himself to lean against the stone wall as he lost himself in his pride of becoming an older brother again. He took in the child’s facial features as he stroked their cheek, noting how similar it looked to their mother. He felt the smile he bore only seconds ago fade away at the thought of that woman, and her treatment towards his new sibling. He would truly never understand why she refused to at least name them.

“Your mother, she didn’t name you, did she?” Xander whispered to the infant, knowing full-well the child wouldn’t reply, “How about I name you instead.”

Xander looked around the room in hopes something to inspire him.

Out of all the rooms in the castle he could’ve run to, he ended up in the armory where Siegfried awaited him. Like a king ready to lead its kingdom to victory, it bravely stood on a pedestal on the other end of the room, isolated from the rest of the weapons. While the sword itself emitted a dark purple aura when his father wielded it, that aura was absent as it rested, revealing the pitch black material from which the sword was forged. Siegfried shone brightly in this form, and Xander found himself even more drawn to it than before. The next thing he knew, he was only an arm’s length away from the legendary sword. It was in that moment a name came to mind.

“Siegbert. Prince Siegbert of Nohr.” He proudly declared.

… 

Wait.

…

Xander felt blood rush to his cheeks as he slowly opened the blanket to verify what he suspected. His new sibling was no prince of Nohr at all. The blood from his face rush away faster than it came to the thought he’d just about named his new baby sister Siegbert.

The child wriggled in Xander’s arms and cooed. She then smiled and opened her eyes to reveal the deep, sparkling purple irises that melted his heart in an instant. In that moment, Xander knew exactly what to do.

“Elisabeth… Princess Elise of Nohr,” he said as he felt his own eyes tearing up, “As… As your older brother… I promise you a life free of the pain the rest of us had to endure.”

He hugged Elise even closer to him with one arm, “I promise to protect you.”

He then gripped the weapon with his other hand and began to pull, and Siegfried began to glow.

**Author's Note:**

> Now. I dare you to watch that Birthright scene. Without crying. 
> 
> I'm cruel, aren't I? 
> 
> Especially since I posted this today, of all days. (Yeah, it's still March 19th where I live).
> 
> This was an interesting change of pace for me, since I usually stick to fluffy and corny oneshots. I think that because I focused more on world building instead, this is my best fic yet. 
> 
> Happy birthday Elise. You deserved much better from me than this.


End file.
